First Lieutenant, United States Air Force

"The majority of us lead quiet, unheralded lives as we pass through this world. There will most likely be no ticker-tape parades for us, no monuments created in our honor ... But that does not lessen our possible impact, for there are scores of people waiting for someone just like us to come along; people who will appreciate our compassion, our encouragement, who will need our unique talents ... Someone who will live a happier life because we took the time to share what we had to give. Too often we under-estimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around. It's overwhelming to consider the continuous opportunities there are to make our love felt..."

- Leo Buscaglia -

Donnie and I were kids who grew up in the same neighborhood in New Orleans ... Donnie was a short little chubby guy - kind and generous with a great wit. I could go on but I won't at this point ... It was just ironic that five houses down from Donnie lived
George Flynn,
he too an Air Force pilot killed in Vietnam ... I lost contact with both individuals when we moved out of the neighborhood - but I didn't forget Flynn or Ginart...

A Note from The Virtual Wall

On 03 June 1969 1st Lt Donald F. Ginart of the 614th Tactical Fighter Squadron, 35th TFW at Phan Rang, flew F-100D tail number 55-3790 on a close air support mission about 10 miles southwest of Quan Long in the extreme southern tip of South Vietnam. During his second strafing pass against VC structures his aircraft was hit by antiaircraft fire and crashed. Lt Ginart's body was recovered by an Army team.

The point-of-contact for this memorial isan old childhood friend from the Pratt Drive-Van Avenue Gang,W. J. (Jerry) Speer